Café Mars

This trendy Brooklyn spot from Chef Paul D’Avino is quirky from start to finish, and that's exactly what makes it shine. The contemporary menu is equal parts modern and nostalgic, with an outlandish creativity to boot. It's all intended for sharing, so come with a gang and kick off the festivities with four squares of negroni Jell-O with Castelvetrano olives suspended inside. Garlic knot monkey bread is topped with dollops of Parmesan butter and before tucking into a plate of pasta, consider the muffaletta dim sum. You've likely never had anything like it before, where fried sesame balls are tucked with a “muffuletta filling" and sided by an olive salad spread. Finish with quince panna cotta layered with lemon ice and topped with a ricotta cookie.